The present invention relates generally to turf aeration equipment used to loosen compacted soil by removing a portion of the soil therefrom and, more particularly, to an apparatus that provides for transversely spaced linear aeration trenches in conjunction with top dressing the turf to improve turf growth and drainage.
Aeration machines are well known in the art. These machines typically drive a hollow tine into the surface of the ground to create a plug of earth that is lifted from out of the ground above the surface and deposited on the surface of the ground. If the cores are to be disintegrated and swept back into the holes formed in the ground, the green cores, i.e. cores of earth freshly elevated from the moist ground, generally have to be dried for 2 to 4 hours, depending on the weather conditions, before the earthen portion can be removed from the vegetation thatch on top of the plug and associated root system. In some situations, such as golf course greens, it is preferable to return the earthen portion of the cores to the ground; however, the organic matter is typically removed from the aerated site. Alternatively, the earthen cores can be removed from the aerated site and taken to a remote location for subsequent handling.
For athletic fields, which often become highly compacted from extensive use, end of season aeration of the turf to enhance the growth of the grass is highly recommended. The process utilizing conventional hollow tine aerators is recommended to make multiple passes over the surface of the field to create enough open space within the turf to brush into the hollow spaces in the ground a calcined clay compound that is then top dressed over the field. Making multiple passes of an aeration machine takes a significant amount of time to accomplish and further causes compaction on the turf as the aeration process proceeds.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a linear turf aeration apparatus that forms transversely spaced aeration trenches in the surface of the ground and then stabilizes the ground by sweeping non-compacted material back into the aeration trenches.